It's Not Fair
by Foxy121
Summary: After the happenings in "The Forbidden Trail", things have yet to settle down. Frank is trying deal with the fact that Joe might lose his leg, and still be the unshakable older brother, strong one for everyone involved. How long can he be the shoulder to cry on when he so desperately needs support? This should probably be K but it's rated T, descriptions might get slightly gory.
1. Chapter 1

**Helllooooooooo! I am back! (ominous music) (thunder crashes)**

**Two-shots rule guys! So I intend for this to be a two-shot. Could evolve into more though. Anything left unsettled by the end of this shall probably be resolved in yet another two-shot... ;)**

**Please review! Reviews are life to my body!**

**Sorry for the Joe angst that you find in every other fic, but it was inevitable. (:**

**I don't have a skull. Or bones.**

**I also don't own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys.**

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The lights of the city illuminated Frank Hardy's face as he stared out the window. Cars honked distantly every once in awhile. Well, at least he knew there were other people awake at 3:00 am.

He'd been trying to sleep on the couch, but it was no use. Even without the dreams that plagued him, the couch might as well be hewn out of rock. Turning around, he walked back across the dark room.

Earlier in the day it had been easier to be happy. He, Bess and George had alternated between the two rooms, talking, hanging out and laughing with Nancy and Joe while Nancy recovered from her burns and Joe waited for the final diagnosis on his leg.

But now, with everyone fast asleep, he was without comfort.

Frank sighed deeply as he watched Joe sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed. _Wonder what he's dreaming of? _Then he shuddered. What they'd been through during the last few days was a nightmare in itself.

Sitting down in a light blue armchair by Joe's IV stand, Frank let his head drop into his hands. Every time he closed his eyes, the same scene replayed itself.

_Frank looked around wildly. Falling rocks, large stones crashing and rolling all around them… Dust… _

_He heard Joe cry out sharply, and faintly heard Nancy scream at the same time. What happened? Where were they? "Nancy? Joe?" he yelled, his voice raw. Fear made his stomach tight. _

_Finally everything settled. He could feel his pulse racing. _

_Frank stared in shock at the debris around him. How could they have survived?_

_ "Frank!" he heard a muffled cry._

_"Nancy!" Frank's heart beat wildly as he ran over to a large uneven boulder._

_"Under here!" _

_"Joe?!"_

_They were both trapped underneath the same boulder._

_"Okay guys, stay calm. I'm going to try to shift this rock," Frank shouted. He braced his shoulder up against the rough stone and pushed steadily. The boulder was uneven, and tilted slowly away from him._

_"Aaah!"_

_Frank stopped immediately at Joe's voice. "What is it?"_

_"It's pinning down my leg! Any farther and it'll break!"_

_"Alright," Frank panted, "I'll try the other way." He didn't get very far before he heard Nancy scream._

_"Nancy, what's wrong?" he called._

_"It's pressing down – on my chest – I can't breathe!" her voice sounded breathy and panicked._

_His thoughts spinning wildly, Frank eased the weight back to the middle. He couldn't free either one of them. And the boulder wouldn't tip sideways, and he couldn't lift it… What could he do?_

_"Frank, just do it," Joe said urgently._

_"What?!"_

_"Push the boulder onto my leg. It's the only way."_

_"I can't do that to you!"_

_"You can let both of us die, you can kill Nancy, or you can let my leg break. Your choice." Joe said flatly._

_Reluctantly, Frank acknowledged his little brother's point. "How come you have to make sense every once in a while?"_

_"It's my job. Now hurry!" Joe pleaded._

_"Isn't there anything else we can do?" Nancy's voice came._

_"No, Nancy. It'll be okay," Joe called back._

_"Ready?" Frank's hands shook a little bit as he touched the boulder. He could hardly bear to even think of hurting Joe._

_"Ready."_

_"I'm sorry," Frank whispered as he braced his body against the rock. Taking a deep breath, he shut his eyes, clenched his teeth, and shoved._

_The boulder rocked away from him, and Joe's agonized scream burst from beneath._

A shaky sigh escaped from his lips. If he was being honest, doing that to Joe had probably hurt himself more than his little brother.

No, he wasn't blaming himself much – there was nothing else he could've done – and Frank wasn't one to deny the logic of their solution. But feelings overrode his logic sometimes, fantasizing that if he'd tried hard enough, maybe he would've been able to save his baby brother from harm.

"Good thing you can't read my thoughts," Frank said softly, even though he knew Joe couldn't hear him. "You'd tell me to shut up, stop being stupid, and quit thinking of you as my baby brother. Well, Joey, we may both be teenagers, but you'll always be the little kid." He gave a small chuckle, remembering how Joe had "found" him and Nancy when they were being taken captive by the horse fighting gang.

_"Doctor Matthews just talked to me, since you were asleep." George said. " It's about Joe."_

_Joe? Was something wrong?_

_His heart clenching in fear, Frank sat up. "What did he say?"_

_George swallowed hard, crystal tears welling up in her eyes. She seemed to be trying to find the right words to say._

_Frank's heart pounded rapidly. Something was very wrong. "George."_

_Nancy's friend sighed shakily and sat down on the bed. "Frank… Joe's leg is worse than any of us thought. It's been damaged so badly that – that…"_

_He grabbed both of George's hands, staring at her. He couldn't breathe. Her gaze slid away from his._

_"Frank, they want to amputate it."_

Heaving another sigh, Frank placed his hand on the bedsheets next to Joe's shoulder, almost touching, but not wanting to wake him up.

"This sucks, little brother," Frank whispered. "You're seventeen. We're both not even close to adults. You're not out of high school yet. You've got your whole life to live – without your right leg below the knee?"

He closed his eyes again, against his better judgment. All of the times Joe had lay nearly dead in a hospital, the times Joe had been tortured rather than betray his brother, the kidnappings, the bombs, flew through Frank's mind like in a horrifying slideshow.

An image of a laughing sixteen-year-old with dark hair, hugging Joe tight. Iola.

With a strangled sob, Frank forced his eyes open again before the next image could come, the one he knew so well.

Joe at the scene of the car bomb, the flames high in the air, and even though he was alive, looking like the life had been sucked out of his very bones.

"You, have been through, so, much." Frank murmured, emphasizing each part of the sentence. "So much more than any guy your age _should_ have by now, or within their lifetime. More than me. Why is it always you that has to take all the crud that's thrown our way? And sometimes, it _is _my fault."

The heart monitor beeped steadily. Joe squirmed a little. Frank knew that his little brother was a "tosser" and turned over frequently in his sleep, but he couldn't due to the padded restraints strapping him onto the bed during each night so that he wouldn't further injure his leg by accident.

And Frank? The brunette, computer-savvy teen huffed bitterly. All he'd gotten were some cuts, standard dehydration, and a slight concussion. As it was, while Nancy and Joe were waiting for Frank to get help, Joe nearly _died_ of fever from the infected wound of the main compound fracture in his leg.

"I get off almost _untouched,_ and you get all the pain, nearly every. Single. Time. _It's not fair!" _Frank choked, his eyes filling with tears.

But there was no answer in the dark room, and Frank continued listening to the heart monitor until he fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

**Poor Frank! Poor Joe! Poor readers! Which means, most likely, poor me... (steps discreetly out of reach of various objects being hurled my direction)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Sorry for the Malfunction** **in the update! I freaked out when I realized what had happened. Hopefully it'll work this time.**

*****PLOT TWIST*** Guys, THIS IS NO LONGER a two-shot! :O**

**Nope. I think it may have turned into a small firing squad. But we'll see how it ends up!**

**Soooooo, I'm not completely positive what to do about our dear blonde one's leg... I STILL cannot decide whether or not to amputate it. Amputation is easier and creates more DRAMAA, buuuut even *I* have my Cruelty limits and am rather willing to try and save his leg if y'all REALLY want... ;)**

**I do not own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. If I did I'd probably have a car.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Frank dragged himself down into the small cafeteria for an over-priced, under-prepared meal the next morning with Bess and George, while Nancy and Joe fared hardly better with the food delivered to them in their rooms. He swirled a plastic spoon apathetically in his bland coffee until it turned cold.

"I'm not really hungry," Frank finally sighed and pushed his chair back from the small table with a screech. "You guys go ahead and eat."

Bess and George exchanged a worried glance, then focused their eyes on the lonely figure of the older Hardy boy walking dejectedly away.

As he walked, Frank continued to replay in his mind the scene, all the way up to the chilling _crack _of bone and his little brother's anguished scream.

Walking up to Joe's door, Frank peered in. Maybe he was sleeping.

_Scrape… Scrape…_

_What's he doing in there? _Frank wondered. For no reason, worry clenched in his throat. If he was in trouble again…

Bursting through the door, Frank ran in and stopped short.

Joe lay on the bed, sleeping.

_Then what was that noise…? Was someone in here?_

Looking around warily, Frank turned, backing towards the window by the head of Joe's bed.

A waft of fresh air registered in Frank's mind. A car horn sounding from the street nearby came clearly. He gasped and turned around, staring.

The window was open a little. _Okay, Frank, calm down. It's okay. They just cracked the window to give Joe some fresh air. No need to go into overprotective mode. Besides, this IS pretty high up. It's not like someone's going to – _

Suddenly he noticed something. Frank's eyes narrowed. Then they widened in fear and realization, his heart beginning to pound rapidly.

Crouching, Frank fingered the cleanly cut edges of the missing bottom half of the window screen. Bits of screen still littered the sill.

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***Foxy's evil laugh entered the fandom once more***


	3. Chapter 3

**Another short update. ;)**

**This turned out kind of lighthearted and funny, but don't worry, more drama ahead!**

**I do not own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys.**

* * *

"Frank."

The oldest Hardy brother fidgeted with the car keys in his fingers. Unsettling thoughts turned themselves over and over in his mind. Should he stay in Joe's room at all times, or trade off with Bess and George? Should he request that Joe be moved to a different room, or call 911, or his dad, or should he maybe buy an automati –

"Frank!"

The voice registered in his mind, and Frank jerked his head up, meeting Joe's blue eyes. "Yeah?"

"You sure are lost in thought," his younger brother commented rather sarcastically. Then the sarcastic look changed to one of impish mischief. "You wouldn't happen to be thinking of a certain re-headed –"

"Joe, _everything's _on my mind right now," Frank groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "You, Nancy, everything that went wrong in that canyon, not to mention planning for the next few weeks."

_Not to mention what I've done to you._

"What's happening the next few weeks?" Joe yawned.

"I've talked on the phone with Dad a little. We thought about having you flown to Bayport, but agreed that we should probably stay here for a few more weeks at least."

"Good," Joe grinned. "I don't want to leave yet."

Frank's curiosity was piqued. "Why?"

"Friends. And I like being away from Bayport, honestly. River Heights is so much smaller it just feels nice to… Get away, I guess." Joe shrugged.

They lapsed into silence. Frank swallowed his worry and attempted to look normal. Now that Joe had mentioned it, he _did _want to head over to Nancy's room.

Automatically, his eyes flickered to the window.

Pulling out his phone, Frank pressed **_New Message._**

**_Recipient(s): BESS MARVIN, GEORGE FAYNE_**

**_Hey, could you guys come up to Joe's room? I don't want him to be alone, but don't tell him that. Now, don't get worried, but_**

Frank frowned in mid-text. _No. _He back-spaced until it was clear again.

**_Would you mind coming up and spending some time with Joe? I want to go talk to Nancy, but I don't want him alone, because I think that there might be problems with the window._**

He shook his head and re-read what he'd just typed. _How dumb do you WANT them to think you are, Frank? _Backspacing again, he began to type the first thoughts that came to his head.

**_Could you guys come up to Joe's room? I want to go tell Nancy that I love her_**

He blinked. _Heck no. Backspace, dude!_

**_Enter_**

Another blink.

**_Message sent!_**

Two blinks. A face palm. _Frank Hardy, you did NOT just send that message!_

"Undo! UNDO SEND!" Frank yelped, frantically punching the buttons on his phone.

"Frank? Are you okay?"

He looked up to see Joe looking at him strangely. Embarrassed, Frank sat back down in his armchair meekly. "Yeah. I'm good."

_Please don't read it, please don't read it, PLEASE don't read it…!_

**_1 new message!_**

**_2 new messages!_**

Frank groaned.

* * *

**Poor Frank. I feel ya.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay so I have a really really good excuse for why it took me so long to update. I was out of town for collectively about a month. Maybe more. But now I am back! So here is a chapter. By the way, max2013's threat in the reviews for Baltimore Raven's "The Cosmopolitan Virus" had absoluuuutely nothing to do with me actually sitting my butt down to update. I mean, it's not like people wanting me to update actually motivates me. Pffff why would you think that? (sarcasm intended. Y'all are scary...)**

**I do not own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. I do, however, own the character Dusk Herr. Well, she's kind of a shared character between a friend and I, and I decided I wanted to slip her into this story just for my own amusement.**

**Review please! Even if it's with threats on my life. I'll take what I can get...**

* * *

Bess and George had appeared in Joe's room in record time. Frank didn't know what he'd said in answer to their rapid-fire questions, but now he was finally free and heading at a fast pace towards Nancy's room. The text had been halfway true – he _did _want to tell Nancy at some point. He already had in the helicopter, but she hadn't mentioned it since then. A part of Frank was afraid that her answer had been due to stress and all that had happened. What if she didn't really mean it anymore?

Well, even if he didn't get around to telling her during this conversation, there were more important things to tell her.

Joe was in danger again. And whoever the culprit was, Frank was going to stop them before they could lay a finger on his little brother.

Slowing a bit, Frank looked around. He'd been so deep in thought that he'd gone down the wrong hallway. He sighed in exasperation and turned around.

_Wham! _He bumped straight into someone, who yelped and stumbled backwards.

Reflexes had him by the girl's side in a flash catching her. Deep gray eyes framed by thick black lashes stared into his. Frank blinked. Wow, she was pretty.

Shaking his head a bit, Frank steadied her on her feet. She looked about his age, and the black hair framing those eyes cascaded down her back. The darkness of her hair accented her pale arms, revealed by a gray sundress that matched her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Frank asked, still catching his breath from the shock.

The girl nodded, a charming smile lighting up her features. "Yeah, thanks. Sorry I bumped into you."

"It was my fault. Where are you headed to?"

Her lips tightened in annoyance. "Well, I was trying to find room 320, but I got lost."

Frank chuckled. "Me too. I'm going to room 319, so we can walk together if you want."

"That would be great," The girl agreed. As they started to walk, she extended her hand. "I'm Dusk Herr."

_Fitting name. _"I'm Frank. Are you from around here?"

She shook her head. "Nope. I'm from Bridgeton, Nevada. I was here on vacation before –" Her face fell suddenly.

"Before…?" Frank asked softly.

Dusk sighed. "Sorry, but I really don't want to talk about it."

"It's okay," he smiled reassuringly.

"Do you mind if I ask what you're doing here?" Dusk ventured shyly. "You don't look like you have a disease or something."

"My brother was injured pretty badly in his leg a few days back. That's why I'm here. They're considering amputating about half of it, and I _really _hope there's another way," Frank swallowed, blinking rapidly for a second. _Keep it together._

"Wow," Dusk whistled softly, looking down. "That's horrible."

They turned another corner in the deserted hallway. Frank's eyes narrowed. _It's too quiet in here. Where is everyone?_

Suddenly hands grabbed him roughly by each arm. Frank drew in a breath to yell, but another hand clapped over his mouth.

Kicking, Frank struggled to get away. His captors, dressed all in black, dragged him to the left, into the stairwell.

_Where's Dusk? _The thought struck him as he was forced down the stairs. Glancing up and to his left, he saw people dressed all in black with ski masks bringing her down as well.

They descended three flights of stairs, and Frank fought the whole way, digging in his heels, trying to bite their fingers, twisting his arms and shoulders, and anything else he could think of. It was no use. These guys were strong, and there were three surrounding him.

At the bottom of the stairwell, Frank and Dusk were dragged into a storage closet. _No, no, please no, _Frank screamed inwardly. _They'll go after Joe. And Nancy. I know they will. I have to stop them!_

The brown-haired boy detective almost felt as if he were going insane. The thoughts turned over in his head again and again as he was tied up tightly. Helplessness filled Frank's mind, and he shouted desperately against his kidnapper's glove.

A needle sunk into his arm, and he knew no more.

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***Insert ominous music, probably from Her Interactive, here***


	5. Chapter 5

**With a sheepish grin, I side-step onto the Fanfiction site to post an extremely late update once again, trying to avoid the rotten vegetables being tossed at me like fury. **

**Taking the microphone, I duck a cabbage. "Disclaimer," I begin nervously. A low growl comes from the crowd, and I know I'd better hurry. "I DON'T OWN THE HARDY BOYS OR NANCY DREW!" I yell frantically in a rush, and then run.**

**I make it almost off the stage before a tomato creams me in the face.**

**Think I learned my lesson this time? ...Maybe...**

* * *

Shifting on her bed, Nancy sighed. The burns were healing well, but still were there. Frustrated, she stared at the worst one underneath her forearm, where an ugly scar was forming.

The girl plopped her head back down on the pillows and stared at the ceiling, bored as could be. _Where's Frank, Bess, and George when I need them? _Grabbing her phone, Nancy was about to text them when the wallpaper on its screen caught her eye.

It was a picture from a year ago, one taken right after Nancy, Bess, George, and the Hardys had finished a case in Alabama. They were goofing off at the Science Center in downtown Birmingham, and they'd gotten a random stranger to take a photo of them beside a large, plastic replica of some kind of fish. Well, at least they were probably _supposed _to be beside it. Joe was waving cheerily from inside the fish's gaping mouth, Bess and George were hanging onto its tail, and Frank and Nancy were straddling the top of it.

She smiled fondly at the memory. The slick plastic almost made her slide off, but Frank had grabbed her around the waist before she could. Unfortunately, her sides were rather ticklish. The photo showed Nancy's face in a full-blown, surprised laugh, and Frank laughing at her reaction.

Spur-of-the-moment, Nancy opened Pictures and scrolled through her photo albums. _Cases, _one read. Her lips pursed in annoyance as she remembered. When she'd still been with Ned, she hadn't wanted him to get on her phone and find a whole album of pictures of just her and the Hardys, so she'd made a vague album name. Shaking her head, Nancy opened the album and tapped the first photo.

A giggle escaped immediately as she saw the most recent photo in it: a close-up selfie of Joe wearing a shark-like grin with one eyebrow raised, trying to make Nancy laugh with his Flynn Rider "Hi" impersonation. Of course. Joe probably didn't know she had saved that from his text message, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him in this instance.

The next section were photos captured during one of their most recent cases. Nancy only had them by chance, but she had them. It was on a movie set, and during some harrowing real life action, the crew fled. Two cameramen even left their cameras behind, still rolling while standing on their tripods. Later she'd begged the footage off of the cameramen, and then took screenshots.

It chronicled Frank and Nancy trying to disarm a bomb together. As the time began to run out, Frank told Nancy to stay there. Then, to her shock and dismay, he'd picked up the bomb and ran.

Camera 1 showed over Nancy's shoulder as Frank ran, watching his figure helplessly.

Camera 2 captured her anguished face. It had taken all of Frank's desperate pleading to get her to stay, but she wanted to go with him more than life itself.

After a minute, Frank ran back to her, and Nancy flung herself into his arms in relief. A split second after their arms wrapped around each other, the bomb exploded at a distance, sending a huge, raging fireball into the air. The two teen detectives didn't change their position at all, their embrace silhouetted against the inferno of flames.

Sighing in content remembrance this time, Nancy's reverie was broken by a small _beep _from a nearby clock, announcing that it was half past the hour. With a blink, she sat up and checked the clock in confusion. _The nurse was supposed to have been in here to check on me a while ago. _She suddenly noticed the complete stillness. _Where are all the personnel?_

Curiosity got the better of her. Nancy swung her legs out of the bed. Placing her feet gingerly on the floor, she pressed some of her weight on them. No pain. _Good progress._

The door swung open, and she sighed in relief, looking up. Her relief was immediately replaced with fear and confusion. Two figures dressed all in black met her eyes, not the friendly face she was expecting.

They all stared at each other for a moment, unmoving. Nancy's heart was in her throat and it was pounding wildly, but her mind remained collected. After one more second, she lunged towards them, ignoring the pain from her arm as she punched one of them in the stomach.

Talk about rock-hard abs. Her punch hadn't seemed to affect him. Grabbing her arms, they forced her back on the bed. "Let me go!" Nancy yelled, kicking at them. "Stop!"

"Or you'll what?" One of them scoffed, his voice muffled through the ski mask.

"I'll press this emergency call button. People will come running," Nancy retorted, holding up the remote.

The two men looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Her eyebrows knit in confusion. "That won't help. At all," said the first one. "No one can come."

"What, you took out the whole staff by yourself?" She said sarcastically, but her stomach was a knot of fear. Their laughter wasn't fake.

"Shut up," The second one growled at her. "I suggest," He added, pushing her shoulders down on the mattress, "That you co-operate."

"What. Do. You. Want?" Nancy bit out, glaring up at him.

"I want you to shut up," the man said, and flicked his partner some sort of signal.

"Yes, you already established that. But seriously, what do you want with me?" She persisted.

They didn't answer. Thug 2 let go of her shoulders, but before she could hit him again, he deftly grabbed her wrist and handcuffed it to the bed rail. Thug 1 handcuffed her other hand, and then the two turned to leave.

At the door, they paused. "Almost forgot," Thug 2 chuckled, sending a chill up Nancy's spine. Walking over to her bedside, he pulled out an oxygen mask. He took a backpack off of his shoulders, and unzipped it, getting out a machine with some sort of tank attached to it. She watched, wide-eyed as he hooked a tube from it to the mask, then slipped the mask's elastic strap over the back of her head, despite her struggles to shift out of the way.

Pulling the mask down, the man in black secured it over her mouth and nose and switched the machine on. A low hum filled the room.

A strange-smelling gas moved through the tube, and Nancy tried not to breathe, pulling desperately at the handcuffs. Her lungs began to scream for air. _Frank, where are you? Anyone! Help!_

"Goodbye," the man chuckled as he left and closed the door behind him. Nancy's tortured lungs couldn't take it any longer, and she finally gulped a breath.

Her vision began to swim.

* * *

**AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**


	6. Chapter 6

**Foxy merrily skips onto the Fanfiction site with a document in her hands. Surveying it proudly, she holds it aloft for all to see. Thank goodness they all know that she DOES NOT own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. Because if she did, wouldn't she have some real Converses by now?**  
**"Tadaaa!" She sings innocently. The crowds cheer. They continue cheering so loud that after Foxy returns backstage they don't even hear her evil laugh of triumph.**

* * *

_The forces held him back. No! Stop! They need me!_

_Frank was forced to watch helplessly as dark figures moved towards Nancy and Joe. They didn't know what was going on. He had to save them. I'm the big brother. It's my job to be strong. It's my job to protect them._

_The figures leapt towards the two people he loved most. "Stop!" He screamed._

_Nancy and Joe turned their heads to look at him while the dark figures were attacking them. Frank saw hurt and betrayal in their eyes. "Frank!" Joe cried out. "Help!"_

_"This is all your fault!" Nancy accused, her eyes brimming with crystal tears. His heart clenched._

_"No! Listen! I tried! I fought!" Frank pleaded._

_"Why aren't you here for me?" Joe called out in anguish._

_I didn't try hard enough. This is all my fault. I failed them. _

_Joe and Nancy faded from his view. "NO!" Frank yelled._

Snapping awake, Frank sat bolt upright in the darkness, his terrified gasping for breath the only noise around. "Nancy! Joe!" The teen detective choked. He tried to get to his feet, only to rediscover that his hands and feet were bound tightly. Twisting his wrists around, Frank began to work on the knots with his teeth. He had to get to them. If it wasn't already too late.

* * *

Bess walked out of the bathroom and down the hallway. The complete quietness and lack of people startled her. Stopping, the blonde looked around curiously.

A chilling sensation crept up her spine. All of the sudden, Bess knew she had to get to her friends. Breaking into a run, she sped down the hall towards Nancy's room, every few seconds looking over her shoulder in apprehension.

_319, N. Drew. _Reaching her destination, Bess threw one last glance behind her and burst into the room. What she saw made her suck in her breath sharply in horror.

Nancy lay handcuffed to the bed, an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose. Her eyes were rolling back in her head. That tank was anything but oxygen.

Rushing to her best friend's side, Bess tore the mask off and switched off the humming tank. Breathlessly, she watched Nancy's chest. It rose and fell steadily. After a few more seconds, Nancy closed her eyes and moaned softly.

Encouraged, Bess rubbed her friend's arm. "Nancy. Wake up. Come on," the girl pleaded gently.

The redhead's eyes slowly fluttered open. Staring at Bess in confusion, she tried to lift her arm. The handcuffs that were still there caught Nancy's attention, and her eyes widened, memory obviously returning as she started to panic.

"Nancy!" Bess caught her gaze and held it. "Everything's okay now. I can't get those off of you but I'll find someone who can. Just tell me what happened! You're scaring me!"

Calming down some, Nancy breathed in a deep, shaky breath and let it out. "There were guys in black. They handcuffed me to the bed and put that mask on me. I was almost unconscious when you came in."

"I noticed," Bess nodded, her eyebrows creased together in worry. "Did they say anything?"

Rolling her eyes, Nancy snorted. Bess smiled a little. Normal Nancy was coming back. "Well, besides the whole macho criminal 'you-can't-escape' thing, they did kind of mention taking out the entire hospital staff."

"What?!" Bess squeaked. "How? Do you think they're still around? Why are they here? What do they want?"

"Slow down," Nancy sighed. "I didn't get any other information from them, so I don't know why they're here. They may still be around. Where's George?"

"I-I don't know," Bess stammered, shaking her head. "I haven't seen her in about ten minutes."

A fearful silence permeated the room for a moment. Nancy spoke up again.

"You may be the only able-bodied person in the hospital, then. Bess, do you think that if I give you directions over the phone, you can kill all the lights and lock the doors? That'll keep them confused until the police get here. Then we can let the police in and turn the lights back on."

"Me?!" Bess gasped. "Nance, I'm not a detective. And you know I'm not that good at stealth."

"I think it's the only way," Nancy shook her head. "You'll be fine. I promise to be on the phone every step of the way."

The blonde thought for a minute. "Okay. I'll do it."

* * *

Finally getting the bonds around his wrists untied, Frank shook them off and spat the taste of rope out of his mouth. He untied his ankles quickly, then tried to get some circulation back into his hands and feet.

Suddenly he remembered the pretty girl who'd been captured with him. "Dusk!" Frank whispered loudly into the stillness. "Dusk?" She must still be unconscious.

Getting up slowly, he reached out in front of him with his hands. There was the door. "Let's get some light into this dingy little broom closet," Frank muttered, feeling along the wall. Up a little. Down. There.

He flipped the switch, and instantly squeezed his eyes shut to appease his tortured retinas. Cracking one eye into the brightness, Frank gasped and opened them all the way.

Dusk was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

**AHAHAHAHAAA I AM THE WIND!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: Whoops.**

**By the way, Baltimore Raven had better update soon too... Just sayin. ;P (I know where you live, Baltimore!) Sorry for the looooong delay. This should be the chapter right before I start wrapping everything up. I am soooo done and bored with this storyline now x'D so this chapter might suck, but I'm trying! The next time I write a fanfiction on here, I'll plan more... lesson learned.**

**Disclaimer: I have now disclaimed all characters belonging to Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. Dusk Herr and Tori Maxwell are mine.**

* * *

Frank's heart raced wildly. Dusk was gone. _She must have been in with the bad guys, _he thought immediately. _If she was on my side, she would've freed me if she'd just escaped._

He tried the door. It opened a crack, and he peered out. There was no telling how much time had passed while he'd been drugged, no telling what had been done to his friends and brother while he wasn't there to protect them. _I'm sorry. There was nothing I could do, _Frank's stomach twisted in anguish as he cautiously stepped out of the closet.

_Wait. _What all had he told Dusk when they'd been walking together? His mind flashed back to when they'd met earlier.

_The girl nodded, a charming smile lighting up her features. "Yeah, thanks. Sorry I bumped into you."_

"_It was my fault. Where are you headed to?"_

_Her lips tightened in annoyance. "Well, I was trying to find room 320, but I got lost."_

_Frank chuckled. "Me too. I'm going to room 319, so we can walk together if you want."_

He sucked in his breath sharply and stumbled, catching himself against the wall with his hands. Frank groaned inwardly. _I gave her Nancy's room number._

"_Do you mind if I ask what you're doing here?" Dusk ventured shyly. "You don't look like you have a disease or something."_

"_My brother was injured pretty badly in his leg a few days back. That's why I'm here. They're considering amputating about half of it, and I really hope there's another way," Frank swallowed, blinking rapidly for a second._

"Frank, you _idiot!" _He cursed himself, running quickly but silently up the stairs. "If she didn't know who I was before, she _definitely _got the information she was looking for." Frank heaved himself up the last flight, panting. A wave of dizziness washed over him, reminding him that he'd recently been drugged. _Too soon for strenuous exercise? Tough luck. You should've thought of that before you put everyone in danger._

Opening the door at the top of the stairs, Frank peeked out, then slipped into the hallway.

_This is all my fault._

* * *

Bess finished kicking off the grate and took a deep breath. Lowering herself down through the hole as far as she could, the blonde dropped to the floor, landing in a crouch.

"_Are you there?" _Nancy's voice came through Bess' bluetooth that she'd put in her ear before climbing into the air vent. _This is so like some old spy movie, _she thought, shaking her head.

"Yeah," Bess whispered back. "What do I do now?"

There was an uneasy silence from the other end. _"What's in the room?" _Nancy finally asked.

Bess glanced around. "Two computers, and a metal panel on the wall. Nan, what do I do?" she asked again nervously.

Another silence. _"I'm not sure," _Nancy admitted, _"do you think you can figure out what controls the lights?" _

Suddenly a squeal came from the other end of the phone, then voices. "Nancy! What's going on?" Bess demanded.

"_George is here!" _Nancy answered excitedly.

"Oh my word! Really?" Bess gasped, relieved.

"_Yes! Here, I'll let her guide you through," _Nancy said. There was a slight rustling noise.

"_Hey there," _George's mildly amused voice came over the phone. _"Playing spies?" _

"You have no idea," Bess snorted. "I had to climb through the vent. There was so much dust, my white jeans are ruined."

"_No kidding? I've always wanted to do that!"_

"So where were you?!" Bess shivered.

"_I was in Joe's room. Why?"_

"Nancy was told that the bad guys had taken out everyone in the hospital," she explained.

"_Well, assuming that this was an inside job, why bother with Joe's room if the hospital staff that are in on it already know that he can't do anything to stop them?"_

Bess blinked. "Good point. I guess they forgot that there were visitors."

"_Yep. Okay, I've got a map of the room you're in on my phone."_

"How'd you do that so fast?"

"_I have my ways," George laughed. "Now, go over to the panel and open the back of it."_

* * *

Frank crept down the still hallway toward Joe's room. He had to save his little brother. He should've been more careful after he'd noticed that ripped window screen.

Suddenly, the lights flickered out. Pitch darkness enveloped him. _Oh, great._

Something touched his arm. Frank whirled, scrambling backwards, his heart pounding. _Not again!_

"Come with me," A girl's voice hissed in the quietness. Frank narrowed his eyes in suspicion. It hadn't been Dusk's voice, but who was she?

"How do I know I can trust you?" Frank asked softly, suspicious.

"You can't know. Are you coming or not?" The voice whispered urgently.

He hesitated. "Okay."

Following the slight rustling sounds the person in front of him made, Frank followed. He shook his head in amazement at his stupidity. This was crazy. How could he just follow someone he couldn't trust?

A door creaked open to his left, and Frank crawled into the room after the person, whose figure he could now just barely make out.

She stood and silently closed the door behind them. Crossing over to the other side of the room, she drew back a curtain, filling the room with light from the window.

Frank blinked, his eyes adjusting again. He stood.

They were in an unoccupied hospital room. There were personal bags in the chair, and the bedsheets were lying in disarray.

The girl cleared her throat softly. Frank turned to look at her, then gasped in shock.

She looked as if she should've been a patient. A patch of dark red stained her jeans just above her left knee, and her arm was in a sling. Long brown curls matted with blood, she suffered a few small cuts on her face and a horrible black eye.

"Who are you," Frank whispered, astonished, "and what happened to you?"

"There's no time," the girl answered in a low voice. "I'm Tori Maxwell, an undercover agent. Can I trust you?"

Frank blinked. He couldn't have heard that right. "Uh... Come again?"

The girl, Tori, rolled her eyes. "If you haven't noticed, there's a crime scene out there. I'm an undercover agent. Can I trust you?"

This was turning out to be the craziest day of his life.

**New chapter coming by... Next week? :O We shall see...**


	8. Chapter 8

**ANNOUNCEMENTS: READ THEM.**

**THE STUPID FANFICTION SITE KEEPS MESSING UP MY UPDATES AND IF I HAVE TO DELETE AND REPOST ONE MORE CHAPTER BECAUSE OF SOME STUPID CODE THAT MAKES MY TEXT UNREADABLE I WILL SCREAM.**

**1\. Yes, I DID get it in by "next week"... though it wasn't an exact week from when I last updated...**

**2\. I APOLOGIZE that these last chapters and ESPECIALLY this chapter are extreeeeeemely confusing. But it is for a purpose! All SHALL be explained! Soon! Like, hopefully next chapter.**

**3\. Which brings me to #3, the next chapter is probably the last one.**

**4\. I know there's a lot of things left unresolved and unanswered, and a distinct lack of the regular level of storyline going on with the other main characters besides Frank.**

**5\. With that said, PLEASE REMEMBER that this is a pretty Frank-centric story. The others will get their time to talk and be their wonderful selves next chapter when I finish this up.**

**P.S. Where did the button for the divider line thingies go?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. My friend and I own Dusk Herr and Tori Maxwell.**

**Hope it works this time.**

"_The police are on their way," _Bess's voice came over the phone. Nancy nodded, holding the phone with one hand while George worked on picking the lock to free her other wrist from the bed rail.

"Good. What are you seeing on the security cameras?"

"_Not much so far. I mean it IS dark."_

"Keep an eye on rooms that have windows. That's the only light source they have now. I suspect they'll use it eventually."

"_I'm checking some of the hospital rooms. There doesn't seem to be anything going on. Everyone that's in a room is either too sick or injured to get out of bed, or they're asleep. I think you were the only one they were concerned about because you'll be well enough to be released in another day or so."_

George finished picking the lock, and the handcuffs clicked open. Relieved, Nancy removed her hand. They waited in silence for a few seconds.

"_Hold up. Something's happening," _Bess muttered.

"What do you see?" George leaned close to Nancy, even though she had the phone on speaker mode.

"_Two people just entered one of the rooms. Ugh, it's so dim... Okay, now one of them is opening the window. Hmm. I think it's a girl about our age, kind of tall, and I wish I was that slim. Long curly hair... Can't tell what color, the resolution is awful."_

"What's the other person look like?" Nancy asked, curious.

"_Hang on, his back is to the camera. Wait! I think it's – guys, it's Frank!" _Bess exclaimed.

"What?!"

"You're good," Frank breathed about twenty minutes later, staring in amazement as Tori hacked the hospital's mainframe from Dr. Matthews' computer.

"Thanks," the girl whispered back, not taking her eyes off the screen. They narrowed in concentration as she typed furiously.

The bluish glow from the screen illuminated the teens' faces, being the only light in Dr. Matthews' office. Frank watched Tori open and close applications, typing codes at a rate so furious it nearly boggled him.

"So uh, what _are _you doing? Exactly?" Frank murmured, as Tori pressed one more key and sat back in satisfaction as a message that read _exporting _appeared.

"Just incriminating a criminal," she smiled.

Criminal? Dr. Matthews? Frank's head spun. "Come again?"

"Oh, Dr. Matthews has only been here for about a month, and he's already using his job as a cover for smuggling illegal drugs," Tori casually informed him. "Turns out he's got a large gang buying from him."

_How? What? When? _Frank's brain screamed in confusion. "Wait, so is he not a real doctor?!"

Shaking her head emphatically, Tori clicked something with the mouse. "He had a few years of nursing school, but everything else was forged right before he was hired here."

_So the person responsible for our care is a criminal. Sounds about right. _"As if we weren't in enough trouble already without a drug-dealing doctor sending thugs after my brother," Frank muttered under his breath. "I bet as soon as he found out who we were, we jumped right to the top of his hit list."

Tori shook her head as if snapping herself out of a daze. "Sorry, did you say something?"

Frank sighed. "Nothing. Just... thinking aloud, I guess."

_Thud! _A loud noise behind them instantly had both teens on the ground behind the desk. Frank's heart beat rapidly as he rolled over onto his back, looking up.

Four different gloved hands held four different guns at him. He gritted his teeth.

A tense silence reined in the small, dark office. The masked figures, silhouetted by the light from the computer, didn't move a muscle.

**Joe: Um, excuse me. Yeah. I'm so interrupting right now.**

**Me: (sputtering) Wha-but-I-you-**

**Joe: Shhh.**

**Me: But I was-!**

**Joe: SHHH.**

**Me:...**

**Joe: Now is it just me, or is there a pattern here?**

**Me: Pattern?**

**Joe: Yup. We keep switching between Frank, Nancy, and Bess. But do you know what's wrong?**

**Me: I think so, but I assume you're about to tell me...**

**Joe: What's wrong is the distinct lack of Joe-ness. What's happening to me this whole time? Huh?**

**Me:...I have my reasons...**

**Joe: (meaningful glare)**

**Me: I promise, you get a scene soon.**

**Joe: Promise?**

**Me: Promise.**

**Joe: Yay! Is it this chapter?**

**Me:...**

**Me: See you next chapter, Joe!**

**Joe: Aw, dangit.**

Slowly, Frank opened his hands and moved them beside his head. Risking a glance over towards Tori, he dimly saw three more men holding guns at her. _How many times can this happen in one day?! _Frank thought, half worried, half frustrated. _I'm beginning to realize I have absolutely no clue what is going on here._

"What do we do with them?" One of the thugs muttered grimly. Another one entered the room and gestured urgently to the one who had spoken. Thug 1 listened, his eyes concerned above the material covering the rest of his face. Frank then watched the man's eyes harden.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the doorway behind the men. It was rather small and slender, but Frank couldn't tell whether it was a boy or a girl. The person was in all black, looking just like all the others, but something was off. Frank squinted, studying them. Then he realized that they had no gun.

A split second after Frank had taken in all of this, the figure grabbed the arm of the man holding a gun at Tori and yanked it, flipping the man heavily to the ground. Whirling, the person took out two more of the thugs, ducking quickly under a punch, jumping over a kick, and slamming them into the wall. The remaining thugs quickly brought their guns up.

Before they could make any other move, Frank sprang to his feet and slammed his fist into one of the thugs' heads, knocking him out cold. His fist exploded in pain. Grabbing the man's gun as he fell, Frank spun, ramming the butt of it into the next man's head. _Crack. _The gun flew from his grasp. As it spun across the floor, two more thugs ran in, and Frank and the smaller figure in black exchanged a glance. Breathing hard, Frank dashed forwards with his mysterious ally to confront the new enemy.

"Freeze!"

Hearing a gasp from his partner, Frank slammed on the brakes. Slowly, he glanced behind him.

His blood ran cold as he saw that the first man that had been taken down now held Tori by the throat, a knife pressed up against her neck.

The silence was so thick that Frank could've sworn it was touchable.

Sweat trickled down his forehead. There was no way. He looked around at the men surrounding them. Hardened gazes met his eyes every time.

Tori's eyes were wide, but she didn't look completely panicked. Strangely, her eyes were locked with Frank's fighting partner. He frowned. Did they know each other?

Cautiously, the thug began to move his knife away from Tori's throat, but still where he could use it. "Get on the ground," he said gruffly. Frank stared right back at him. Grudgingly, he began to obey.

_BANG!_

The gunshot caught the whole room by surprise. Everyone's heads snapped towards the doorway.

Illuminated by the glow of the computer, Bess stood, posed like a professional spy. The pistol in her hands was still pointed at the ceiling. Lowering it, she pointed it at the guy holding Tori. The blonde smirked. "Didn't your mama ever tell you not to bring a knife to a gunfight?"

**1 review = 1 cheezit and I love cheezits. Thank you to all my reviewers, among them Baltimore Raven, sparkles321, max2013, purpledramagirl17, NancyAustin, GJFH (where'd GJFH go anyway?), Kl, ACertainIdioticScientist, j, and Guest. **

**Hope it works this time! Just about died when I saw what this screwy site had done to my beautiful update.**

**See you next chapter... (thunder)(lightning)**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'M BAAAAAAACK!**

***Apologies and excuses ensue* Seriously, I'm surprised no one's tracked me down and hit me with a two by four yet... ;P**

**LAST CHAPTER! :O GASP**

**We tie up just about every loose end here! One thing though, I am sorry of the lack of Francy in this story. I love Francy, I really do.**

**I do not own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. Or a box of Cheezits. (Sad sigh)**

**GO! :D**

* * *

Minutes later, Frank, Tori, and Bess were running down the dark hallway together. They'd disarmed the thugs and locked them in the closet. "It won't hold them long, but it's the best we can do," Tori panted as they ran. "There was nothing to tie them up with."

"Where'd you even come from, Bess?" Frank finally managed as they rounded a corner. They all stopped for a break, and he leaned his hands on his knees, catching his breath.

"Oh, y'know. Just the air vent." Frank could almost see the smirk he could tell was on her face.

"Impressive," He raised his eyebrows. Suddenly his mouth went dry. "Bess, is Joe oka-"

"Shhh!" Tori hissed. There was silence for a moment. "I found a door," she finally said. "I think it leads to the roof."

Frank followed the creak the door made as it opened and felt his way inside. As the group half-crawled up the stairs, his heart pounded in his stomach. He knew now wasn't the time to ask, but he couldn't bear not knowing if his brother and Nancy were alright.

"Hey, where'd that person who was fighting with me go?" Frank blinked in the pitch darkness. "I don't even remember them leaving."

There was a pause. "I guess she left when Bess came in," Tori's voice came. Something about it was odd.

_Wait. "She?" _

"Tor-" Frank started, but at that moment, a hatch swung open above his head. Squinting against the brightness, he watched Tori pull herself up and out onto the roof.

As Frank climbed up after her, he noticed something gray out of the corner of his eye.

It was Dusk.

* * *

Joe's eyes opened slowly. He yawned, stretching. Perfect nap.

Blinking in surprise, he looked around. Why was it so dark?

The lights flickered on.

Joe shrugged and looked around. Grabbing his phone, he texted Nancy.

_Hey! Wanna come over? ;) Room 129 is the place to be. We're gonna partayyy!_

_Jk. I'm just bored. :P_

Pressing _send, _Joe was about grab his can of Mountain Dew (which George had smuggled to him that morning) off of the bedside table, when the door burst open.

Startled, he stared into the eyes of two police officers, guns drawn.

In the ensuing silence, Joe slowly raised his hand in an awkward wave. "Uh, hey guys?"

* * *

"Uh, hey Frank?" Dusk smiled nervously.

Stunned, Frank stared at her. "Whose side are you _on, _anyway?" he asked guardedly.

Bess climbed up behind him, and looked in confusion at Tori, who shrugged silently.

Her face serious, Dusk began walking towards him. "Yours, I promise. Look, it's too complicated to explain, but I'm an agent."

Frank shook his head in wonder. "Of course you are."

"I'm serious. I don't mean you any harm."

Suddenly someone swung out of the hatch right behind Frank. Startled, Frank grabbed Bess's arm and jumped away.

It was the man who'd held the knife at Tori. He sneered at Dusk, leveling a pistol at her.

Everyone froze.

"I knew there was something off about you, Sophia," The thug growled. "Or is that even your real name?"

_For the billionth time! What the HECK is going ON here?!_

Tori's face was pale, and Bess looked on with huge eyes. Only Dusk seemed even close to calm, Frank noted with curiosity.

"Kai, it's not what it looks like," Dusk said softly, backing up with her hands spread.

"Oh?" The black gloved hands cocked the pistol. His eyes narrowed in his ski mask. "I think it is."

"You were the one who killed those nurses, weren't you?" Dusk gasped. "A-ashley and Weston."

"Of course I was," he sneered. "And you're next."

"No! Plea –"

The shot cut through the air, and Frank dove to the ground. Rolling, he gasped as he saw Dusk convulse, blood staining the stomach of her gray sundress.

Bess screamed. _"NO!" _Tori shouted.

Making a move as if she was reaching for something, Dusk went limp as she fell backwards over the edge of the roof.

* * *

"Joe!" Frank gasped in relief when he saw his younger brother safe in his hospital room. "Thank God you're safe!"

Running across the room, Frank enveloped Joe in a crushing hug.

Joe raised an eyebrow. "Uh, good to see you too?"

Letting go, Frank sat down in a chair, weak with relief as Bess, Nancy and George walked in.

"We just finished giving our statements to the police," Nancy said as she plunked down on the sofa. "It's a good thing they showed up when they did. Bess tells me that someone had just been killed when they apprehended all the perpetrators."

"It was horrible," Bess shuddered. Her eyes glistened with tears.

"Yeah," Frank sighed. "I still don't even understand half of what happened today."

"Well," Joe began, "Since I have absolutely no idea what you guys have been up to, can you tell me some of it?"

Nancy and George undertook this task, with Bess sometimes providing some input. After they finished, Joe shook his head in amazement.

"So, Dr. Matthews, aka drug smuggler, was infiltrated by this Tori person, Frank and a girl named Dusk were locked in a closet but Dusk disappeared, Nancy was gassed, Bess became a spy, some person in black helped Frank protect Tori, Bess totally owned everyone with a gun, and then Dusk, who was called 'Sophia' by one of the bad guys, was shot and fell off the roof?" Joe recapped.

"Pretty much," George nodded grimly. "And apparently Tori disappeared soon after that in all the commotion."

"I can't even try to think about it right now," Frank groaned. "I'm still pretty sure that Dusk was a bad guy. I mean, she was the one who probably got me captured after she tricked me into mentioning Joe''s room number. There were two different things going on here. Tori was infiltrating Dr. Matthews, but the thugs weren't a part of that."

Frank looked up, the concerned, intent gazes of the others on him. "They were after Joe."

"Whaaaaat?" Joe put a hand over his chest in the "me?" gesture.

"Are you sure?" Nancy demanded. "How do you know? Why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged helplessly. "By the time I began to actually figure it out, I was locked in a closet. Of course I couldn't tell you."

George narrowed her eyes. "But how –"

Suddenly Frank's phone rang. Frowning, he looked at the caller ID. It had a Nevada area code.

"Hello?" He said as he picked up. The others looked at him so questioningly that he put it on speaker.

"Frank?" the feminine voice came, "This is Tori."

"Tori? Where are you? How did you get my number?"

"I'm a techie, remember?"

"True."

"Frank," Tori started, "I think I should fill you in on what happened today, so listen close."

"I'm listening," Frank assured her, practically on the edge of his seat. Everyone leaned in closer.

"Dusk and I were here to infiltrate Dr. Matthews. Together."

"You _knew _each other?"

"Of course. We're cousins, _and _partners. When you and Dusk met earlier, she was on her way to meet with the thugs that were actually after Dr. Matthews. They'd gotten wind that some drug deal went bad. Dusk posed as a lady leader of one of their ally gangs, Sophia Delacroix, so that she could gain their trust and stall them while sent the incriminating files to our base from Dr. Matthews' computer. When she ran into you, things started to go wrong. The thugs, thinking that she was trying to trick you into something, threw her into the closet with you and then drugged you. After they drugged you, they took her back out. She left and changed into black clothing so that she could 'join' the gang in their job."

"How did you get those injuries?" Frank asked, incredulous.

"They were fake. I hacked into the hospital's computer system and put myself down as one of the patients, listing my injuries, y'know, giving myself a medical history and all that blah. The thugs didn't want any interference, so they hacked the computer system too. The patients that were well enough to get out of bed, they gassed with a harmless sleeping gas. They didn't bother with those who were too injured. I was one of them, so they overlooked my room. I assume that it was just a case of 'dumb thug' that they forgot about visitors. When they broke into Dr. Matthews' office, Dusk was the one who helped you take them out. Then she ran and changed again, since we'd had a change of plans."

"Plan B, huh?"

"Nope. Plan M."

Frank's head felt like it was whirling apart. "So , we got onto the roof, and Dusk did too. How did that thug know where to be? And how did he know that Dusk wasn't on his side?"

"She 'accidentally' let some facts slip, then she ran to the roof."

"Wait, you guys _wanted _him to figure it out?!"

"Of course! Remember how Dusk asked him if he'd killed some nurses? He really had. That was what we were investigating in the first place before we discovered the drug deal. So after incriminating Dr. Matthews, we wanted to take out this gang leader, Kai, for the murder as well. Dusk provoked the confession. I got it on tape."

"But then he shot her," Frank said softly. "I'm so sorry."

"Well he did, but that's not the end of the story."

The group of teen detectives stared at each other. The phone made a rustling noise.

"Hey Frank!"

"_Dusk!" _Frank almost collapsed of shock. "What – I mean – but – you – _how?!" _

"Extreme bullet proof vest. Cable harness. Ketchup."

Joe and the girls burst out clapping and cheering.

"Frank!" Tori's voice came, slightly panicked. "How many people just heard all this?"

"It's okay. Just my –" a _click _answered him. "Tori? Hello?"

"Good job, Frank," Joe teased. "You scared her away."

"I did not!" Frank retorted. "You guys did!"

"Sorry Frank," Nancy chuckled. "We'll be nicer next time."

"Well, that certainly clears it up," George grinned. "There was no conspiracy against Joe. Plus, if Dr. Matthews was a fake, then that means that his diagnosis on Joe's leg was probably pretty off."

Frank's eyes widened in delight. "Bess, can you –"

"I'm on my way!" Bess laughed, elated, rushing out the door to find another doctor in the maze of personnel and police that were crowding the halls.

"I'm so bummed that I missed out on all of this," Joe complained. "How come you guys get to have all the fun?"

"I'd hardly call being gassed 'fun'," Nancy rolled her eyes.

Suddenly Frank deflated a little, a frown furrowing his eyebrows. "There's just one thing that I don't get."

"What's that?" Nancy asked.

"Early this morning when I came into Joe's room, part of his window screen had been freshly sawed away," he explained. "Someone would only do that if..."

"They were... That's not good," Nancy looked concerned.

"Should we tell the police or what?" George wondered.

Joe looked uncomfortable. "I think I can explain that. The oatmeal they give me for breakfast is awful, and that nurse is a complete witch, dude. I can't reach the trash can and she won't throw it away until it's gone! So I kind of cut a hole in the screen and dumped the oatmeal out the window. She almost caught me, too! I heard footsteps right as I finished, so I pretended to be asleep until she left."

Nancy and George burst out laughing, and Frank groaned. "Do you know how much you put me through, little brother?" He pretended to scold Joe. "Me, your wonderful older sibling? This is what I get in return?"

"Yeah," Joe snickered.

"Well if you ask me, it's not fair!"

* * *

**THE END.**

* * *

**TADAAAA! :D Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers and to those who have followed me/this story. I wish you eternal Cheezits!**

**Another story soon? *sly smile* Mayyyyyyyyybe. If I do end up doing one, suggestions for place/time of year are extremely welcome! Also, what did you guys think of Dusk and Tori? Should I bring them back in for the next one?**

**Until next time!**

**Foxy**


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